Chapter 19: Are We There Yet?

He steadied himself, suppressing the desire within, and took the anklet from his pocket, fastening it around her right ankle with deliberate force. The blood-red gemstone gleamed against the snowy skin, sparkling like a river of stars scattered across the night sky.

In his mind’s eye, he saw her dancing on stage, the anklet glinting with every movement.

Lin Lu straightened, kicked her foot, and said, “Take it off. I don’t want it.” As she spoke, she reached down to remove it.

Xu Yancheng seized her wrist and pressed her down. “I designed this with great effort, and you don’t want it?”

“Whether you put in effort is your concern. Why should I have to accept it?” Lin Lu stared at him unflinchingly. “I simply don’t like it. I despise it. I can’t stand it at all.”

Xu Yancheng almost laughed out of sheer frustration. Out there, women would give anything for something like this, but here she was, spurning it as if it were a curse.

He wanted to curse aloud.

Lin Lu continued to glare at him, her eyes dewy and enchanting, like stars falling into a clear spring or a lost doe wandering into a mysterious forest.

Those eyes could speak, and if one gazed too long, even a god could be drawn in.

Xu Yancheng snorted coldly. “I think you’re just asking for it.”

The hem of her dress was once again pulled aside as Lin Lu watched the man bend down before her...

“Xu Yancheng… don’t…” she pleaded, her voice tinged with tears and laced with irresistible emotion.

But Xu Yancheng was in no mood to heed her; his mouth was far too busy.

Lin Lu’s gaze grew hazy. She clutched the bedsheet tightly, her reason slipping away bit by bit. At last, she could endure no longer, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

“Are you there yet?” Xu Yancheng finally lifted his head, wiping away the moisture at the corner of his mouth.

It took Lin Lu a long moment to gather herself. When she opened her eyes, she saw her leg still resting on his shoulder.

She lowered her leg, composed herself, and began to tidy her dress.

Xu Yancheng’s demeanor had already returned to its usual clarity, his attire immaculate—the same cold and ascetic figure from the banquet, as though nothing had happened at all.

Lin Lu laced up her high heels, her fingers brushing against the anklet at her ankle. She hesitated, but in the end, left it there.

She truly didn’t have the energy to spar with him any longer.

When Lin Lu returned to the banquet hall, her legs still felt weak.

Dinner had begun, but Xu Yancheng had yet to return, and Xu Mingchuan was also absent.

At the table, only she and Su Yi remained.

Lin Lu picked up a glass of red wine, sipping as she observed Su Yi.

She wondered if Xu Yancheng had ever treated Su Yi the same way.

Su Yi had always struck her as proud, someone who looked down on everyone.

The Su family was of scholarly distinction. Su Jinyuan was a professor with significant achievements in biological sciences, and his wife, Wen Caiqing, was a celebrated dancer—a luminary in her field.

Such a family held high regard, but in Northern City, a place teeming with magnates, they hardly had the standing to look down on others.

In the end, it was Xu Yancheng who gave her that confidence.

The Xu family was an undeniable force in Northern City. One only had to glance at the banquet guests—most were here to curry favor with the Xu family.

“What are you looking at?” Su Yi had clearly noticed her gaze.

“Nothing, just admiring you,” Lin Lu replied with a perfunctory smile.

Su Yi didn’t seem to care. In business, they were rivals; in private, strangers. There was little warmth between them.

When Zhou Ruikang approached, Su Yi was just getting up.

“Oh, you’re leaving as soon as I arrive? Am I really that annoying?” Zhou Ruikang grinned, his demeanor careless as ever.

Su Yi shot him a cold look. “I’m going to find Xu Yancheng.”

Zhou Ruikang took the seat beside Lin Lu.

After sampling a few dishes, he remarked, “Don’t be fooled by her aloofness. In front of Xu Yancheng, she’s as gentle as a little bird.”